Thank You, Speaker Pelosi! (by Elena Hung)
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (l) and Elena Hung (r) embrace in front of the podium and an American flag. They are both dressed in white. The Speaker holds a brightly colored, framed drawing by Elena’s daughter Xiomara, given to the Speaker in appreciation of her work.
On December 14, 2022, a ceremony was held at the U.S. Capitol to honor Nancy Pelosi, who is the first woman Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and who has twice been elected to that office. The occasion was the unveiling of her official portrait as Speaker, which will join the portraits of all her predecessors in Statuary Hall.
Among the distinguished guests to offer their remarks and congratulations was our own Elena Hung, co-founder and executive director of Little Lobbyists. We here at Little Lobbyists wish to express our undying gratitude to Speaker Pelosi as a champion of our children and the access to health care all of us deserve.
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“Madame Speaker, members of Congress, distinguished guests, friends watching on the livestream: It is my great honor to join you today.
“When I reflect on Speaker Pelosi’s incomparable leadership, I think of the partnerships she so thoughtfully creates and nurtures – the inside maneuvering and the outside mobilization she has often spoken about:
Partnerships between those who are most directly affected by the laws passed in this building and the members of Congress who draft and vote on them;
Partnerships between families like mine, who share our personal stories to put a face on policy, and the most powerful woman in the history of the United States Congress who chose to listen and uplift those stories;
Partnerships like these are how I, an immigrant mother of a disabled child, am here speaking before you now;
Partnerships like these are what makes it possible to pass and defend life-changing legislation like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Elena Hung speaking during the ceremony. She is standing at a podium. Behind her are several marble and bronze statues of famous Americans, as well as three American flags. She is speaking to a large audience seated in chairs on the black and white tiled marble floor.
“It is no exaggeration to say that my daughter Xiomara, the joy of my life, and countless children with complex medical needs and disabilities like her, are alive today because of the ACA – and we have the ACA because of Speaker Pelosi.
“I often think of all the babies like Xiomara – whose five months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit totaled $3 million in medical bills – who now have a chance at childhood because the Affordable Care Act (ACA) banned lifetime limits on their care.
“Xiomara is 8 years old now – 8 birthdays that were never promised to a medically complex child like her. And as we await Xiomara’s next life-saving surgery, I am comforted knowing she has the health care she needs because of the protections of the ACA.
“Today, as we celebrate and express our gratitude for the Speaker’s remarkable accomplishments, what I hope will be most remembered as part of her legacy – and what I hope everyone sees when they look at this beautiful portrait – is that Speaker Pelosi did it all for the children. By working together in partnership – inside and outside – we are able to celebrate more birthdays with our children and build a better world that is worthy of them.
“Madam Speaker, on behalf of Xiomara and all the Little Lobbyists children and their families, thank you.”
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You may watch the entire ceremony in this CSPAN video:
[video description: A play button hovers over a portrait of Speaker Pelosi, with the CSPAN logo in the lower left. Elena’s remarks begin at 29:37.]